Virus
by PotterPhantomKitten
Summary: Post PP.  Danny is beginning to feel strange.  He constantly has visions, and sometimes he can't remember where he is or what he was doing.  When a strange figure with red eyes comes, Danny must find a way to overcome it before he changes forever.
1. The Figure

Hi everyone! This was originally planned to be my first Danny Phantom phanfic, but then I had tons of other ideas and kind of forgot about this one! Anyway, on with the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. If I did, Nickelodeon would have a very angry person on their hands. Also, this wouldn't be a fanfic, it would be an episode.

Danny Fenton, also known as ghost-fighting superhero Danny Phantom, flew into his room after a long day of ghost fighting. Transforming into his human form, he looked over at the clock and sighed. 9:45pm. Brilliant, just brilliant.

"Great, it's nearly 10, and I haven't even been able to do anything relaxing!" Danny groaned. "This is just not my day. First the ever-annoying Box Ghost shows up, then Undergrowth, then Vlad! It just never seems to end!" He walked over to the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. His jet black hair was disheveled, and his bright blue eyes held exhaustion in their gaze. No doubt about it, it had been a long day for the young halfa.

However, one particular event of the day had Danny at unease: when Vlad had shown up. Vlad Masters, another half ghost who called himself Vlad Plasmius, came and battled Danny quite often, and the teenage boy never gave it a second thought. However, there was something especially unsettling about today's encounter…

_Flashback_

Danny had been patrolling the city, searching for signs of any ghostly activity. He had just defeated Undergrowth, and thanks to his ice powers it was an easy victory. Danny was now ready to go home and at least get 15 minutes of peace. Unfortunately, any chance of that was ruined by what happened next.

"Ah, Daniel, you're just the one I was looking for!"

Danny swiftly turned around. He knew that voice! "What do you want Plasmius? I've been busy all day, so let's just finish this quickly so I can get some peace and quiet!"

"Oh Danny," Vlad said with a meanacing leer, "when the time comes, you won't be able to find peace and quiet in this world. In fact, you'll find just the opposite soon enough."

Danny's fists were balled up now, emitting a green glow of ectoplasmic energy. "What do you mean?" He stared at Vlad curiously.

Vlad only grinned at him. "Now, now Daniel, you wouldn't want to spoil the big surprise, now would you? Let's just say that soon you might start to be _seeing double._" Without another word, but a malicious glance at Danny, Vlad disappeared.

_End Flashback_

"What exactly did he mean by that?" Danny said to himself. "It's so strange…" Feeling uneasy but tired, he changed into his pajamas and slipped into bed, staring out the window. "I'll have more time to think about this tomorrow," Danny said to himself as he drifted off to sleep.

Unknown to Danny, a figure, completely invisible, watched as the young halfa fell into dreamland. "The time is drawing near," the figure whispered, his voice seeming to carry on the wind. He concentrated on the power within himself, and a crimson mist formed around him. The mist floated over toward Danny, encircling him, finally fading as it drew near the sleeping halfa.

"_Soon Danny Fenton,_" the figure whispered into the night, making his red eyes visible as he left. "_Soon you shall know…and you shall become…_"


	2. Fever

A/N: Wow, only been up for day and already an alert and 5 reviews? I feel so happy! Anyway, time for review replies!

**Shining Zephyr: **I know it seemed short, but that's just because it was a prologue chapter. There's a lot more excitement still to come!

**Hordak's Pupil: **Glad you like it!

**New Ghost Girl: **I know it's a creepy prologue ending, but things will get creepier!

**FernClaw: **An alert? YAY! Glad you think it's interesting, being only the prologue.

**Silver Shadowbreeze: **SHADOW!! Glad you like the phic! And I might enter it into the next fanfiction contest for the guild, but I was thinking of entering Crytopyrite: Shadows of Sulfur next, remember? Oh well!

On with the phic!

"_Danny Fenton…the time is coming…" a voice whispered into Danny's dream. Danny looked frantically around him, wondering where the voice was coming from. He saw nothing but darkness around him. _

"_Where are you?" Danny demanded to whoever had spoken, "show yourself!" _

_A low chuckle pierced through the darkness, causing the halfa to jump slightly. "Few ever see me, young halfa, but I appear to you, and you alone, at least, to let you hear my voice! You'll know in time, Phantom, what I look like and what my intentions are," the strange voice whispered so close to Danny he could almost feel it. "You'll know in time." _

_Danny could no longer hear the voice. He only saw a hint of some strange red mist, glowing in the void…_

Danny woke up with a start, turning wildly around him, relieved to find that he was in his room, and not in that strange infinite dark place. And that voice…he shivered slightly at the thought of it. "Who is he?" Danny wondered to himself, "and why wouldn't he show himself?" He tried to shrug it off and dismiss it as just a dream, but something in Danny's heart told him this was no ordinary dream.

It took Danny a few moments to realize that while he was still in his room, he was on the floor, a few feet away from his bed. "How did I get all the way over here?" Danny asked himself, more confused then ever. "And why do I feel so warm?" He placed his hand on his forehead, and gasped. It felt like he was burning up! Danny gave a quick glance toward his clock, and seeing that it read 7:00am, he went to the bathroom and grabbed a thermometer, knowing that his mom would be up in a few minutes to wake him up for school. Danny read what it said on the thermometer and did a double take, that couldn't be right! He tried again, and still the same result: 114 degrees. "114 degrees?" Danny gasped, leaning against the bathroom wall. "That's impossible!"

"What's impossible Danny?" Danny glanced up to find his mom staring at him.

"I woke up this morning feeling awful, so I took my temperature and…well, look what it says!" Danny practically shoved the thermometer into his mom's hand, feeling like he was going to fall over.

Maddie Fenton practically fell over when she looked at the thermometer. "114 degrees!" she gasped as she placed her hand on Danny's forehead, just as he had done. "Danny, it's not normal for anyone to have a temperature this high! People have died from it! I think we might need to take you to the hospital-"

She didn't get any farther than that when Danny suddenly fell over on the floor, limp and unmoving.

Maddie's scream echoed through the whole house. "DANNY!"

Undetected, the strange figure watched on, staring intently at the now unconscious halfa.

"If he survies," the figure said to himself, "then he will prove to be more valuable than I thought. If he is the one…he'll survive…"


	3. Visions and Hospitals

A/N: Well. I'd like to thank everyone for reading and reviewing! A total of 15 reviews with only 2 chapters up, I have to say I'm shocked! Anyway, review reply time!

**FernClaw:** I didn't mention it before, but yes, this takes place after Phantom Planet.

**Hordak's Pupil: **You'll find out soon enough!

**New Ghost Girl:** Wow! I never expected anyone to be THIS eager about it! Anyways, as for what will happen if Danny survives…well, wait and find out!

**Aavi:** I think I know who this is! Lol. You'll find out what will happen soon…very soon.

**Shining Zephyr:** Thanks! Same here about the cliffhangers!

**Sciencefreak330 and PunkMichPhantom:** Thanks!

**Silver Shadowbreeze: **Yeah, being half ghost, he's expected to have a lower body temperature than normal.

**Twilight Phantom Dragon:** SONIC!!! I almost forgot you had an account on here! Well, you wanted the next chapter, I give you the next chapter!

Wow, with the amount of reviews I'm getting, I don't think I'll really be able to put specific review thanks anymore, or else they'll eventually be two pages long! Now…

Danny: Can I say it?

Me: Sure Danny.

Danny: On with the phic!

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_Danny saw nothing but the darkness, and that red mist encircled wherever he walked. Almost like it was following him. "Great," Danny groaned, "I'm here again?" He realized that he was in ghost form the overwhelming heat from his fever had finally ceased. "Am I dead?" Danny wondered aloud. _

"_No," a voice said as red eyes appeared in front of Danny. "You are knocked out, but you are alive, as I knew you would be. I'm very impressed with you. It's no wonder you're known around the world." _

_Danny practically jumped. At least he could see the figure's bright red eyes, gazing at him with a hint of pride. The rest of the figure was still invisible as ever. "Well, at least I can see part of you," Danny said sarcastically. "Just tell me who you are and why you keep following me in my dreams!" _

"_Well, I suppose I can't have you asking me forever," the figure said to Danny, the red eyes fixing their gaze on Danny's green ones. "Very well. You can call me Virus. As for only being able to see my eyes, you will learn what my true form is when you are ready. For now, you must rest." _

"_Okay," Danny said, a little wary now. Why would a ghost named Virus keep visiting him, and why was he saying "you must rest"? Rest for what? His thoughts were interrupted, however, when a faint voice called through the empty darkness: _

"_Danny, please wake up!" _

_Danny slowly felt himself being pulled out of the black world, but he turned toward the red eyes, another question nagging at his brain. "If you're a ghost, why doesn't my ghost sense go off when you're around?" _

_Virus laughed as Danny grew farther and farther away, being pulled back to the world of the living. "I am sure there are a few ghosts that your ghost sense hasn't gone off around. Just think about it Danny, you'll figure it out." _

"Is he going to be okay?" Sam nervously asked as she looked from Mrs. Fenton to Danny. Sam, Tucker, and the Fentons were waiting by Danny's bedside in the hospital. All the Fentons, that is, except Danny's father, Jack Fenton. He had run off swearing to find the ghost who did this to Danny and "rip it apart molecule by molecule."

"I'm sure he'll be okay Sam," Maddie smiled reassuringly, but still casting worried glances toward her son. "I'm sure he's been in worst ghost fights than this, hasn't he?"

"Well, yeah," Sam said uncertainly, "but we've always been there for him when he needed us, and he never got a fever before."

"Danny's immune system must be stronger than a normal human's, even though being half-ghost makes his normal body temperature lower," Jazz, Danny's older sister, pointed out. "Any normal human would've quickly died from a fever that high."

"He'd better wake up soon though," Tucker said, concentrating on a game on his PDA, "or I'm going to beat his high score on _Death Planet II_ 5 times!"

"Tucker!" Sam snapped at him. "We have no time to worry about your PDA!"

"Sorry," Tucker said meekly. When he thought no one was looking, he turned to his PDA and whispered, "She didn't mean that."

Sam heard and rolled her eyes. "Some mayor he's turning out to be!" She didn't say anymore as she realized that Danny was finally beginning to open his eyes. "Danny's awake!" she exclaimed as she ran over, waiting anxiously for Danny to fully get back into consciousness.

Danny blinked a few times to get his vision into focus, and saw his mom sister, and friends rushing over to him. He sat up, flinching a little as him mom grabbed him in a tight hug.

"Are you okay Danny? Is anything hurting you?"

Danny shook his head, smiling. "No Mom, I feel fine actually besides the minor throbbing in my head. What happened?"

"You're in the hospital. I took you here after you fainted," she explained. "We had to cool you down to get your temperature back to normal."

"They let us out of school early so we could see you," Sam added. "I thought…I was so worried that…"

"Don't worry Sam," Danny said, sensing what Sam had been about to say. "I'm fine. You know I wouldn't leave you."

"I know," Sam whispered, sharing a smile with Danny.

A loud cough interrupted the conversation, making everyone in the room turn toward the door. A young looking black-haired man in a white doctor's coat stepped into the room. Danny, being a halfa, could read his nametag even from the other side of the room: Mr. B. Hartman.

"Sorry to interrupt," Mr. Hartman said with a kind smile towards Danny. "I can see that Danny finally woke up. Are you feeling alright Danny?"

"I'm feeling fine Mr. Hartman," Danny answered.

"Call me Butch, everyone does." The doctor said with a laugh. "I just wanted to let you all know that Danny's test results came out normal. His heartbeat and blood pressure are fine. He can go home now, but he might want to stay home from school tomorrow, just in case."

Despite all that Danny had on his mind, he couldn't help but smile. This doctor was pretty nice. As Sam helped him get up to leave, Butch pulled Danny aside for a minute.

"You are one special kid Danny," Butch said, beaming at the young halfa. "In fact, I work at a TV network company when I'm not working here. Who knows, maybe I'll make a TV show about you!" He smiled and winked at Danny.

As the group began to walk out of the hospital, Danny and Sam noticed that Tucker was humming something. At first, they couldn't quite hear what he was signing, but slowly Tucker started to sing louder.

"Sam and Danny, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marriage, then-"

"TUCKER!" Danny and Sam screamed. "KNOCK IT OFF!!"


	4. Amneisa

A/N: Wow, already 24 reviews, and 9 for just chapter 3?! I have to say, I never imagined that my phic would be this popular at only 3 chapters! Anyway, to clear up some confusion, this phic DOES take place after Phantom Planet. Yes, I did put Butch Hartman in the last chapter as a little tribute to him. Without him, this phanfic wouldn't be here, and neither would this entire section on Now, I know you're all waiting for chapter 4 so…on with the phic!

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As the group drove back to FentonWorks in the Fenton RV, Danny was the only one who didn't say a word. He had a million questions running through his head, thinking about what Virus had said. "Why does my ghost sense not go off when he's around?" he whispered to himself, since no one else had seen Virus yet. "The only two 'ghosts' it hasn't gone off around are Vlad and Danni, but they're not full ghosts." Suddenly, Danny's eyes widened, realization dawning on him at last. Virus wasn't just a ghost…he was a halfa, just like Danny!

With Danny's parents discussing how Danny might have gotten that fever, Jazz reading a medical textbook, and Tucker playing his PDA (as usual), Sam was the only one to notice Danny's shocked expression. "Danny," Sam asked, breaking Danny out of his thoughts, "are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah Sam," Danny said after a moment, then shook his head. "Look, we're almost at my house. Tell Tucker to snap out of his PDA-mode, then come up to my room so we can talk. There's something else I need to tell you guys."

"Okay," Sam said, glancing up as the Fenton RV pulled up in front of Danny's house. She tapped Tucker on the shoulder, who jumped and hit his head on the ceiling.

"OW!" Tucker exclaimed, finally turning away from his PDA. "What'd you do that for?"

"Can you quit concentrating on your PDA long enough to get out of the car?" Sam practically hissed at him. "Danny says he needs to talk to us about something."

"Okay, okay!" Tucker said, starting to get out of the RV when everyone else was already in the house. "Just let me beat level 27 and I'll-"

"OUT!" Sam screamed at Tucker, dragging him out of the car and into the house.

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After a few minutes of Sam shouting and threatening to confiscate Tucker's PDA, the two walked up the stairs to Danny's room. Sam was wondering what Danny had wanted to tell them. His parents knew his secret, after all, and Jazz too, so why not tell all of them when they were in the car? Then a horrible thought crossed her mind: "What if Danny's in trouble?" She and Tucker raced up to Danny's room to find Danny sitting on the floor with a concerned expression on his face. Sam instantly became troubled.

Danny looked up as Sam and Tucker came in. "You might want to sit down," he said.

Sam sat down beside him, followed by Tucker. Sam noticed that Danny's normally bright blue eyes seemed dull and worried. What was going on?

Danny sighed as he looked at his two friends. "Last night, before I got that fever…Vlad came back. I mean, I know I've battled him many times before, but he didn't battle me this time."

"He didn't?" Tucker asked, confused. "That's strange, even for Vlad. What did he do?"

Danny shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing really, he just said that soon…soon I might start to be seeing double."

"Seeing double?" Sam gasped, leaping up suddenly. "Danny, how many fingers am I holding up?" she asked as she held up three fingers.

"Three," Danny answered, slightly confused now. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Sam sighed. "If you were seeing double, you wouldn't of been able to tell the right number of fingers I was holding up."

"Oh," Danny said, though he was almost positive Vlad hadn't meant anything like that. "Anyway, I woke up this morning, and before I realized that I had that fever, I found out that I was a few feet from my bed."

"Maybe you were sleepwalking," Sam suggested, feeling a little better now. "Did you have a weird dream?"

Danny froze, debating in his head whether he should tell them. After all, Virus had said that he only would appear to Danny, and that few see him. Still, Sam and Tucker were his friends, and he decided to tell them whether Virus made his presence known to them or not. "I did have a weird dream," he admitted. "There was this strange figure with red eyes. I don't know what he looks like otherwise."

"Did he say what his name was?" Tucker asked, fully turning his attention toward Danny now.

"Not until he appeared when I was knocked out," Danny said. "He called himself Virus, and I think he's a halfa. My ghost sense doesn't go off around him."

"Why does he come to you Danny?" Sam asked. This Virus guy Danny described made her uneasy.

"I don't know Sam," Danny answered, shaking his head. "I don't know." Danny stared at the floor, lost in thought, when the confused look in his eyes suddenly changed. He hurriedly stood up and looked around, his eyes nervous and fearful. "W-Where am I?"

"You know where you are Danny," Sam said, suddenly nervous. "You're at home, in your room."

"Who are you?" Danny asked, his frantic eyes looking from Sam to Tucker.

"Danny," Tucker said warily. "You know who we are. We're your best friends, Sam and Tucker."

Danny's confused gaze now held a hint of anger. "Why do you call me that name? I have no name, no home. I am a wanderer, a loner, belonging to no one. Why have you captured me here?"

Sam stared at Danny. He had to be playing some kind of crazy joke on them. She stared into Danny's eyes and gasped. There was panic, anger, and fear, with no recognition in his eyes. "_He doesn't remember who we are! He doesn't even remember who _he _is!"_

Danny transformed into his ghost form and floated above them, anger burning in his eyes. "You humans thought that you could keep me prisoner, being what I am. Now you know that you are wrong, despicable humans! You must not dare to catch me-Phantom-ever again. If you do…" he paused, letting a frighteningly malicious grin pass over his face, setting a shiver down Sam and Tucker's spines, "My friend and I shall make sure you will regret it. He has powers I do not have, more powerful than my own. You will rue the day you dared to cross us!" He fired an ecto-blast at his friends, causing them to fall back, as he turned intangible and flew away.

"What's going on?" Jazz asked as she entered the room, followed by Danny's parents. The three of them gasped in shock as they found Sam and Tucker looking like they had the wind knocked out of them, a hole in the floor, and Danny nowhere in sight.

"What happened?" Jack Fenton asked. "What happened to you kids?

Sam and Tucker were about to reply, but Danny's mom then spoke up.

"Where's Danny?" Maddie Fenton asked, worry written over her face. "I thought he was with you!"

Sam looked gavelyy at the Fentons. She stared out toward the window as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Danny's gone."


	5. Meeting

A/N: Wow, sorry it's been awhile guys! Well, you don't have to wait for chapter 5 any longer, because here it is!! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and on with the phic!

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"Gone?" Maddie asked, her eyes widening. "What do you mean gone?"

Tucker looked sorrowfully at Danny's mom, who had fear written over her face. "He tried to tell us about something…and then he…didn't remember who we were!"

"WHAT?" Jazz exclaimed in shock. "What happened?" Jazz had seen her brother get into plenty of jams before, but memory loss was something entirely new to her. What if something was seriously wrong with Danny?

Sam spoke up before Tucker could say anything. "He looked at us like we were his enemies…like he had been captured by us. We tried to call to him, to snap him out of it, but he just said that his name was Phantom and that he's a wanderer and a loner."

"And he said that if we ever tried to capture him again, he and his friend would get revenge on us!" Tucker added. "Danny's gone crazy or something!"

"He's not crazy, Tucker!" Sam snapped. "He just…has some sort of amnesia."

"Pretty weird amnesia if you ask me." Jazz said, unconvinced that it was merely amnesia. "Did Danny say anything that might give us a clue as to what's going on?"

"Well," Tucker started, "he did say that Vlad showed up-"

"He what?" Jack exclaimed before Tucker could finish, "I'll track him down and rip him apart molecule by molecule!" Jack started to run out of the room before Sam's words stopped him.

"Vlad didn't do anything to Danny," Sam spoke up," he just said….that Danny might start to be seeing double."

"Seeing double?" Maddie gasped. It was bad enough that her son ran off with amnesia, but now he might have vision problems! "Did you…?"

"Don't worry," Sam assured Mrs. Fenton. "His vision seemed to be perfectly normal."

"Danny also mentioned this Virus character that showed up in his dreams," Tucker said. "He has red eyes, but that's all Danny could see of him. Then he didn't remember us or that his name was Danny…just Phantom."

"Talk about weird," Jazz whispered. "This doesn't seem like amnesia, more like brainwashing."

"I'm just as uneasy about this as you are," Maddie said, attempting to stop herself from crying. "We have to find Danny somehow."

"Whatever's going on with Danny, we're going to find him," Sam spoke up, sounding a little more confident, "and I have a plan. Mr. and Mrs. Fenton, you get the rebuilt Specter Speeder ready. Jazz, go find the Booomerang."

"Of course!" Jazz said enthusiastically. "The Booomerang is still keyed in to Danny's ecto-signature!" Jazz and her parents were out of the room faster than you can say "fruit juice."

"What should I do Sam?" Tucker asked. "Everyone else has a job, what about me?"

"You go call your girlfriend," Sam muttered.

"You mean Valerie?" Tucker asked excitedly.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Of course I mean Valerie! Now tell her to come over here, and bring her ghost hunting gear with her. If we're going to find Danny, we need all the help we can get!"

Tucker nodded, but then stopped. "After that though I think I'll just chat with Valerie for awhile and-" he noticed Sam glaring at him and stopped talking midsentence.

"Get…Valerie…_now_" Sam hissed at him.

"Okay, okay!" Tucker said in a rush, getting out of there before Sam could get angry at him again.

Sam smiled to herself as she headed down to help Jazz find the Booomerang. "Works on him every time."

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Virus smiled to himself. Everything was going according to plan. "His family won't be able to help him once they see what I've done to their equipment, as well as the Grey girl's." He laughed at the thought of their surprise and horror, but he couldn't stick around to see it for himself. He had more important matters to attend to…much more important.

He entered a small building on the edge of the forest. The room Virus stood in was pitch black, but he knew the person he was looking for was there. This was their meeting place.

"Virus," a voice called out from the darkness, "is that you?"

"Of course it is Master," Virus answered, his red eyes glowing with pride. "Everything is going according to plan."

"The boy," the voice whispered. "What is the boy's progress?"

"He survived the fever," Virus answered, "and he no longer has any memory of his former life. He calls himself Phantom, and he believes that those humans are his enemies."

"And he is heading this way, correct?"

"Yes Master."

"Very good," Master whispered, before pausing a minute. "The equipment…"

"No need to worry, Master," Virus reassured him. "I took precautions and destroyed all the Fenton's ghost-hunting equipment."

"And the Grey's?"

"You didn't think I'd forget them, do you?" Virus asked, chuckling. "Yes, their equipment has been destroyed too."

Though Virus couldn't see him, the Master was smiling. "You've done exceptionally well, Virus, better than I expected, but there is no time to waste. The boy should be here soon. Accept him into the Clan, it is his home now, after all."

"I shall, Master." Virus answered with a smirk. He had big plans for the new member of the Clan. He started to fly off, but he then turned back to Master. "His memory, in time, shall return you know."

"I am perfectly aware of that Virus," Master answered with a soft chuckle. "When Phantom regains his true memories, you may reveal to him your true form. And afterwards…" he fell silent, knowing that Virus knew what he meant.

"Afterwards I may use the Phantom Power?" Virus asked as excitement burned in his crimson eyes.

"Yes," Master answered, pleased by Virus's eagerness. "Only then may you use the power." Master stared intently at Virus's eyes, for that was all that could be seen of him. "Show me your right hand, Virus."

Virus floated over toward his Master, and made his right hand visible, covered by a silvery glove. As his Master removed the glove, a mark could be seen on Virus's pale hand: a black outline of a star with an eye in the center.

"The Mark," Master smiled as Virus slid the glove back onto his hand, making it invisible once more. "It is time for you to go Virus."

"Yes Master," Virus answered. "It is nearly time for Phantom's Welcoming." With a glance at his Master, he flew out to greet Phantom when he arrived.

"Remember," the Master called to Virus as he flew off. "Only then you may use the power."

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Phantom flew above the very forest that Virus was in, his green eyes scanning the area. He was searching desperately for his destination, a place far away from the despicable humans. He had no true home, but the place he was looking for was as close to a home as he had. Phantom groaned in frustration. "He said that today would be the day of my Welcoming," he muttered to himself, "but where _is_ it?"

"Phantom! Over here!"

Phantom turned to see a pair of crimson red eyes staring back at him. "Virus! There you are!"

"I've been looking everywhere for you, Phantom!" Virus scolded him. "I saw that you got away from the humans!"

"Of course I did," Phantom said calmly. "Those humans are so pathetic. When will they learn that our kind are superior?"

"They will soon, don't worry." Virus answered. "Now follow me! We need to get to the Clan for your Welcoming!"

Phantom eagerly followed Virus until the two of them reached a dark part of the forest, where several other halfas were. They were all loners like Phantom and Virus, so they had formed the Clan together. They each had small houses made out of a combination of tree bark and metals. There was also a large stone structure in the center of the clearing, with firewood placed on a small altar.

"At last," Phantom smiled, gazing fondly at the altar, "the day of my Welcoming." The altar was where the Clan performed all their rituals, and the Welcoming was among the most important. The entire Clan knew that the most important ritual was still to come, a ritual that would only be performed once. On the night when the stars were aligned, and the moon burned like the core of the sun…then, and only then, would the Great Ritual be performed, and the true power entered on the world. It was pretty much a legend among the Clan members, and they all knew, even Phantom, that the time was drawing near.

"Soon," Phantom whispered, staring up at the sky, which was just beginning to get dark. "Someday soon, we shall see the power of the Great Ritual, and the humans can do nothing to stop it."


	6. Welcoming

A/N: Oh, the suspense! I know you guys are eager to find out what happens next, so here you go! Thanks to everyone who reviewed!

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"He did _WHAT?_"

"Just what I said Val. He warned us not to cross him again, and then he was gone." Tucker explained. "Just like that."

"Sounds like that Virus character you mentioned is behind this," Valerie said. "I mean, he showed up right before all this happened, right?"

"You have a point, but we don't know where to look." Tucker worried. "Danny could be anywhere."

"Valerie couldn't help smiling. "Don't worry Tucker, I have all my ghost hunting gear in my backpack. With everyone else's help, we'll find Danny in no time!" She looked around and realized that no one else was in sight. "Hey, where is everyone?"

Before Tucker could reply, a shout came from the Fenton's basement. "I don't _believe_ this!" It was Mrs. Fenton's voice.

"I think they're down there," Tucker stated meekly as him and Valerie headed down the basement stairs. They gasped at what they saw: the basement was completely trashed. The Booomerang, the Specter Speeder, the Fenton Fisher, even the Ghost Portal: it all lay in ruins. Not a single shred of equipment was left intact. The group stared speechless at the destruction.

"Who could've done this?" Maddie Fenton whispered, picking up a hunk of twisted metal from the Ghost Portal. "You think it could've been that ghost Danny called Virus?" She looked at the group of young teens and saw every single one slowly nod.

"Hey! Look what I found!" Jack exclaimed as he picked up a folded paper he had found on the floor. "It looks like a note!"

"Give me that!" Sam exclaimed as she snatched the paper out of Valerie's outstretched hand. "It might be a clue to help us find Danny!" Everyone quickly gathered around as she opened the note. The note was written in a strange handwriting, in a red ink that looked horribly like blood. Still, Sam steeled herself to read the note:

Do not bother looking for Phantom. We are hidden where you humans shall never find us. With all your equipment destroyed, it will be useless to search. It is too late anyway. The time for our greatest ritual is about to come, and once it does, there will be no going back. You have been warned, stay away from Phantom…or else!

Virus

"I knew it!" Sam exclaimed. "He's the one behind Danny's weird behavior!"

"Not to mentioned the one that destroyed our stuff!" Jack said, "that Virus will pay for taking my son!" He hadn't been this mad since he found out that Vlad had betrayed him.

"Don't worry," Valerie tried to assure everyone, "I still have all my stuff!" She dumped her backpack onto the basement floor, only to have chunks of twisted, broken metal fall out. "What? He destroyed my stuff too!" Valerie was furious.

"Virus must really not want us to find Danny," Sam said. "He destroyed everything, and this ritual sounds really creepy." She trailed off, tears stinging at her eyes as she thought of Danny. Who knew where he was now? What if something terrible was going to happen to him?

Maddie embraced everyone into a hug. "We'll find Danny, I'm sure of it!" she encouraged the group, but even her own words didn't ease her anxiety. "It's really late. I think you're going to have to stay here tonight. We'll have to look for Danny in the morning.

Everyone picked out different places to sleep (luckily the Fentons had extra sleeping bags), but no one seemed to take pleasure in the overnight hangout. Sam had the most trouble falling asleep. All she could think about was Danny, how cold his eyes had looked when he didn't recognize her. She desperately longed, more than anything, to have her old friend back.

"Danny," she whispered into the dark, "please be okay."

----------------------

Far away in the forest, the Clan was far from sleeping. Virus, Phantom, and six other halfas had begun to gather around the stone altar. They were all visible except Virus, who only revealed his eyes. They all knew what Virus looked like, of course, but they knew that he liked to keep himself hidden most of the time, just in case.

Virus looked around at the other Clan members as he laid a small clump of firewood on the altar. Making his right hand visible, a green ecto-blast shot from his hand, causing green flames to erupt from the altar. "Behold!" Virus proudly announced, "tonight we welcome a new member to our clan in the Welcoming Ritual!" His eyes moved over toward Phantom. "Phantom, come forward."

Phantom glided slowly over toward the altar, barely able to contain his excitement. After all this time, he would be accepted by a group of halfas…like him. Here was a place he belonged, and that human girl had said he belonged with _them_! Ha!

He placed his right hand over the green fire emitting from the altar. In that moment, the flames changed from a bright green to a misty white, encircling Phantom without burning him. The other Clan members were led into a chant:

_Powers dark and powers bright,_

_Light of day and dark of night, _

_Let the power fill you, then you'll see,_

_With us is where you're meant to be!_

At the conclusion of the strange chant, the fire dropped a strange amulet into Phantom's right hand before vanishing altogether. Phantom gazed down in awe at the amulet: a swirling green vortex, half in the light and half in darkness. Upon a Clan member's Welcoming, they received a special amulet based on their genetic structure. Phantom realized that his and Virus's amulets were almost identical, except his had a gold chain while Virus's was silver. "I wonder why ours look so similar?"" he thought to himself. He shrugged it off and went inside his house, since the ritual was over, and it was very late already.

Phantom smiled at his amulet, staring out his window at the bright full moon. He blinked, staring intently at the moon again. He couldn't have seen what he thought he had seen. For a second, the moon looked almost, well…_red. _

Suddenly, he remembered: the Great Ritual would come "when the moon burned like the core of the sun." Could this mean that the Great Ritual was near? Phantom smiled to himself as he drifted off to sleep. "The Great Ritual is coming, and when it does, the humans shall see that they were wrong to threaten us…they will pay for all that they have done!"


	7. Revalations

A/N: Sorry to keep you all waiting! Here's the next chapter! Here's where you finally find out a little…okay, a lot more about Virus. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and without further ado, on with the phic!

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The next morning, Virus softly knocked on the door of Phantom's house, to make sure he was up. He waited a minute. No answer. Curious, Virus opened the door and peeked into Phantom's small house Virus had built. He gasped. Phantom was shaking and muttering to himself, clearly in some sort of nightmare state.

Virus stared at Phantom, pondering. "I wonder…" He focused on his center, calling forth his strange power, and the red mist came around Phantom again. Virus concentrated, suddenly able to see and hear everything in Phantom's dream:

"_You are lying, foolish human! I never belonged there!" Phantom's voice screamed out. "The Clan is as much of a home as I ever will have!" _

_A familiar voice answered back. Virus looked and saw that the Goth girl was there too. "You're wrong about the Clan! You have to remember! You're not just Phantom! Your real name is _Danny_!" _

"_D-Danny?" Phantom asked, shaking his head as a look of surprise entered his eyes. Visions were beginning to swim through his mind. That girl…those humans…why did they seem so familiar to him? _

_The girl nodded, walking over to Phantom and touching his hand. "Remember me Danny? I'm Sam." _

"…_Sam?" _

Almost at once, Virus was thrown out of Phantom's dream world. His crimson eyes became fixed on Phantom, who was jolted awake out of his dream. "So," Virus whispered, leering at the young halfa, "your memories have returned at last."

"You!" Danny gasped, his emerald eyes burning into Virus's. "Look, I don't know who you really are or what you look like, but why did you capture me? What am I doing here?"

"Oh, don't worry Danny," Virus snickered, as the six other Clam members filed into the small house. "You'll know very soon."

Before Danny could react, Virus snapped his fingers and red snake-like ropes wrapped around Danny. There was a strange black mist emitting from it, and Danny blacked out.

------------------

"DANNY!"

Back at FentonWorks, Sam woke up with a start, causing everyone else to run over to her in a hurry.

"Sam!" Tucker asked, looking worriedly at her. "What's wrong, what happened?"

"Sounds like she had a nightmare," Jazz said softly, "about Danny."

To everyone's surprise, Sam shook her head. "It wasn't really a nightmare," she explained, excitement building in her voice. "I was trying to talk to Danny, but he wouldn't listen at first. He just kept saying that I was lying and he belonged with the Clan."

Valerie gave Sam a confused look. "What 'Clan'?"

Sam shrugged. "Beats me, but then I began to remind him who he was, and he suddenly seemed to remember me. Before I could do anything else, he disappeared."

"Well, at least he remembered you," Tucker commented. "That's a start."

However, Sam wasn't finished. "Right before I woke up, I suddenly got a picture in my mind of where Danny was. It looked like the forest that's on the edge of the city."

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Jack exclaimed, "let's all get into the Fenton RV and find Danny!"

"Wait " Sam started in puzzlement, "I thought Virus destroyed all the equipment!"

"Well, apparently he forgot the Fenton RV." Maddie grinned. "Now come on everyone, let's go find Danny!"

"I'll get the fudge!" Jack announced, sprinting toward the kitchen.

Jazz smiled and rolled her eyes. "Dad will never learn!"

----------------------

Danny slowly opened his eyes, trying to get a grasp on his surroundings. He shook his head, trying to clear it, and realized he was chained to the wall. He morphed into his ghost form, struggling to break free, but to no avail. The chains were ghost proof.

"Master," a familiar voice called out. " I can see that our prisoner is awake."

"Ah, good," another voice said, making Danny's head jerk up. "I was wondering when you would awaken, Daniel." The figure stepped into the light, grinning at Danny.

Danny gritted his teeth, there was no mistaking that voice. "Plasmius! _You're_ the one who's behind all this!"

Vlad chuckled softly. "On the contrary, Daniel, both Virus and I planned it all. I created the plan, Virus carried it out."

Danny looked from Vlad to the pair of eyes which he knew to be Virus. "So…you two were working together this whole time?"

"Correct," Virus laughed.

Danny glared at Vlad, remembering what had happened two days before. "Vlad, you said…that soon I would start to be…seeing double. What exactly did you mean by that?"

Virus's laughter could be heard as he stepped closer to the trapped halfa. "I think I'll will be able to explain _that_."

Vlad grinned maliciously at Danny, whose eyes were widening in confusion. "Show him, Virus!"

In that moment, Virus's eyes stared intently at Danny, and slowly his true form began to take shape. Snow-white hair fell over his crimson eyes, his mouth twisted into an evil grin as he watched Danny's shocked expression. He wore a black and white jumpsuit identical to Danny's, except there was a fancy red "VP" emblem in the center.

Danny screamed as the truth was at last revealed to him. The figure standing in front of him-Virus-was almost a mirror image of Danny. Apart from his eyes and his emblem, Virus was an exact copy.

A clone. _Danny's_ clone.

"Surprised?" Vlad asked as he watched Danny tremble. "I was able to get a hold of some of your mid-morph DNA when Danielle first escaped. Virus here was the result. He's the son I've always wanted!"

"Face it, Danny" Virus sneered, "Vlad created me to be more powerful than you! I have abilities that you lack."

"W-What do you mean?" Danny asked fearfully. It felt really strange to be talking to someone who was nearly a mirror image of himself.

"Remember that fever?" Virus chuckled. "And the brainwashing? I caused that. It was all thanks to my power, so great that even the legendary Danny Phantom can't overcome it!!"

Danny couldn't help shivering slightly. That strange fever that had nearly killed him…was Virus's work?

"There's no time to worry about that now Virus," Vlad reminded him. "The Great Ritual is coming tonight, remember?"

"Of course, Master." Virus replied. He gazed at Danny with a look that sent shivers down his spine. "However, there is one more thing I'll need for the ritual to work."

"What's that?" Danny asked nervously, attempting to hide the fear in his voice. By the way his clone was smiling, he could tell it wasn't good.

Virus's grin only grew. He removed the silver glove from his right hand, revealing the Mark that was imprinted.

"Your life."


	8. In Your Blood

A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in awhile! I had a little bit of the dreaded disease known as writer's block! Anyway, I present the next chapter of Virus! And since I haven't put one of these in awhile…

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. I just own Virus, the Mark, the amulets, and the Great Ritual.

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"M-My life?" Danny whispered, genuinely frightened now. "Okay, I've said this to Vlad, and I'll say it to you: you are one _seriously_ crazed up fruitloop!" He stared at the stern expression on his clone's face, and realized he wasn't joking. "What do you need my life for?"

Virus only laughed; a cold laugh that chillingly reminded Danny of Vlad. "Isn't it obvious? I'm your clone, remember? When the Great Ritual comes tonight, it shall obey the will of the one who called it forth, which is determined by our genetic structure…a blood ritual."

"Wait a minute," Danny said, finally starting to catch on. "You mean…it's because of our blood?"

"Precisely," Virus nodded, smiling. "Our blood is so similar, that the power of the Great Ritual could go out of control and hurt not just the humans, but us as well. That's why our amulets are alike. I am a part of you, and you are part of me."

"I'm nothing like you!" Danny insisted.

"Oh, using that old line you used on me, Daniel?" Vlad smirked. "Virus and you are indeed alike. The same blood flows through your veins."

"He may be my clone, but he's nothing like me in my personality!" Danny raised his voice as he said it. He refused to believe that, besides looks, there was anything he and Virus had in common.

Virus leered closer, walking back and forth in front of Danny. "Let's see now," he said, counting on his fingers. "We're both arrogant at times, have a tendency to get annoyed, take our anger out on people we don't like, get revenge on the humans…"

Danny's eyes widened in disbelief as Virus named each quality. Every one of those traits…every single one…described him. _I really am like him_, Danny thought to himself. At the mention of the last trait, Danny faltered. "Wait a minute, I don't ever get revenge on the humans! I try to protect them!"

"Oh really?" Virus smirked as a malevolent smile graced his lips. "Remember when you got revenge on Dash with those frogs from the science lab?"

Danny stared at his clone in amazement, his eyes narrowing. "How did you know about that?"

"I have your memories" Virus answered with a smile. "But enough about foolish similarities…I have to do what must be done." He moved closer to Danny, the mark on his hand now glowing a bright red. He grabbed Danny's right hand, and placed his own hand on Danny's.

"GAH!" Danny screamed in pain as their hands touched. It felt as if a searing, white-hot fire was burning onto Danny's palm. He struggled, trying to get away, but the chains didn't allow him to move anywhere. He could only scream as the searing pain burned more intensely. Finally, Virus pulled his hand away, staring at Danny's hand. Now there was a bright red mark on Danny's right hand, slowly fading to black. It was perfectly identical to the mark that Virus had.

Vlad grinned in satisfaction. "Good job, Virus." He walked over to Danny and examined his hand. "You see, Daniel? There's your proof. You and Virus are one and the same. It's in your blood."

"And tonight, we will prove that!" Virus grinned. "In just one hour, my moment of triumph will begin, and _you_" Virus snarled, pointing at Danny, "will be obsolete."

"I'll show you who's obsolete!" Danny exclaimed. "I challenge you to a fight to see just who is stronger! Are you afraid to fight your original, Virus?"

"Afraid?" Virus asked, using a key to unchain Danny from the wall. "Never."

-----------------

Not too far away, Jack and Maddie Fenton were driving the Fenton RV, searching for any sign that Danny might be around. Jazz, Sam, Tucker, and Valerie were in the back, looking for Danny as well, but the long search was beginning to make them tense.

"Are you sure you have the right forest, Sam?" Tucker moaned in exasperation. "We've been wandering around here all day, and it's starting to get dark out!"

"I'm sure, Tucker! I'm keeping an eye out for Danny! It's not like I have ESP and can pinpoint exactly where he is!" Sam rolled her eyes. If there was one thing Tucker wasn't good at, it was delayed gratification.

"Okay! You don't have to be pushy about it!"

"You're the one being pushy!"

"Oh, is it my fault that we've been driving in circles all day, and we still haven't found Danny?"

"Just break it up you two!" Jazz scolded. "If we're going to find Danny, we have to work together."

"Jazz is right," Valerie chimed in. "We can't waste our time fighting with each other when Danny could be in some kind of trouble!"

Suddenly, Jack practically leapt off the front seat. He waved his arms around, trying to say something, but no one could understand him since his mouth was full of fudge.

"What is it sweetie?" Maddie asked gently, patiently waiting for Jack to swallow his fudge. Though she appeared calm, she was anxious to hear exactly what her husband was trying to say.

Finally, Jack managed to get the words out. "I see something up ahead! It looks like a sort of cabin!"

Suddenly, Sam got a shiver of hope. "I think that's where Danny is!"

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Jazz said excitedly. "Let's get to that cabin!"

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Danny and Virus stood on opposite sides of the room, a bright green ghost shield encasing the arena. Vlad eagerly observed the battle from behind the ghost shield.

"Let's do this Virus!" Danny exclaimed confidently. Despite his confident demeanor, in reality Danny was quite nervous. He had suffered from the fever and brainwashing that Virus had done, who knew what else he had up his sleeve?

"Alright Danny, prepare to taste defeat!" Virus's voice rang out. He ran toward Danny and aimed a pink ectoplasmic energy blast at him.

Danny rolled into a summersault, the blast missing him by inches. "Ha! Is that the best you can do?" He asked, aiming a bright green energy ball at Virus. The ball hit the clone dead center, causing him to fly back and slam into the ghost shield. Danny smiled. This was easier than he thought! "Looks like you need to work on your fighting skills!"

Virus quickly recovered. "Don't bet on it! I'm just getting started!" He jumped away from Danny, a strange, trance-like look forming in his eyes. "Viral Infection, rise!"

Danny raised his eyebrows in confusion. "What the heck is Viral Infection?"

Virus sneered. "My special power." The same red mist he had used when he had first met Danny came around him again, shrouding him in a misty vortex. He pointed toward Danny. "Possess him!"

In an instant, the red mist raced toward Danny. He tried to escape it, but it only seemed to gain on him, finally incasing him as it had Virus. Only this time, it was hurting. It caused every part of Danny's body to slowly slow down, causing Danny to lose momentum before crashing to the ground.

Virus seized his chance and relentlessly attacked the young hybrid. Rendered unable by the Viral Infection, Danny could do nothing to fight back. Within a minute, two white rings appeared around Danny's body, reverting him back to human form.

"I win." Virus said smugly as the red mist faded away. As the ghost shield faded, Virus reverted to his own human form-a perfectly identical copy of Danny in every respect. Virus gazed out at the moon, which was as red as the core of the sun. "It's the time for the ritual now, enjoy your last minutes!" Virus laughed. "Who's the obsolete one now?"

Danny never got a chance to answer, because in that moment, the door burst open. Danny's friends and family stared open-mouthed at Vlad and the two Dannys in front of them.

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A/N: Dun dun DUUNN!! Danny's family and friends finally found him, but Danny and Virus look the same now, and the Great Ritual's about to commence! This certainly doesn't look good! Well, you know what to do, read and review!


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